1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus for recording information signals, such as speech or video signals, on a disc, such as an optical disc, or reproducing the information signals recorded on the disc. More particularly, it relates to a disc recording and/or reproducing apparatus for loading the disc using a disc tray moved across the inner side and the outer side of a casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has hitherto been used a disc player employing, as a recording medium, an optical disc having information signals, such as speech signals or video signals, recorded thereon. Among the disc players of this type, there is such disc player in which an optical disc with a diameter of 120 mm or 80 mm, having mainly music signals recorded thereon, referred to hereinafter as CD, and an optical disc with a diameter of 300 mm or 200 mm, having mainly video signals recorded thereon, referred to hereinafter as LD, can be selectively loaded for reproducing the information recorded on these discs.
This disc player includes a disc tray having the optical disc set thereon and moved across the inner side and the outer side of a casing, a disc driving unit having an optical pickup for reproducing the information signals recorded on the disc, a loading mechanism for moving the disc tray across the inner and outer sides of the casing making up a main body portion of the disc player for loading the optical disc, and an adjustment mechanism for rotating a disc reproducing unit relative to the optical disc for adjusting the tilt of the optical axis of the light beam radiated by the optical pickup on the disc relative to the disc.
The disc driving unit includes the optical pickup for converging the light beam radiated from the light source for radiating it on the optical disc, and a movement mechanism for moving the optical pickup radially of the optical disc. The loading mechanism includes a slider for moving the disc tray, a cam gear having a cam groove engaged by the slider, and a loading driving motor for rotating the cam gear. The adjustment for adjusting the tilt of the optical axis of the light beam relative to the disc includes a guide rail supporting the optical pickup, a supporting substrate rotatably supporting the guide rail, a rotary member for rotating the guide rail and a driving motor driving the rotary member. With the present disc player, the adjustment mechanism is driven by the driving motor and the optical pickup is tilted relative to the optical disc via the guide rail for adjusting the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens relative to the optical disc. The information signals recorded on the optical disc are read out by the optical pickup of the disc driving unit.
Meanwhile, with the above-described disc player, if a disc set on the disc tray is loaded on the disc loading unit, the disc needs to be moved horizontally relative to the casing and subsequently in a direction approaching to the disc driving unit. This complicates the loading mechanism for the disc tray.
In addition, the above-described disc player is provided with a driving motor for moving the disc tray across the inner and outer sides of the casing for loading the optical disc and another separate driving motor for driving the adjustment mechanism configured for adjusting the tilt relative to the disc of the optical axis of the light beam radiated from the optical pickup. Since plural driving motors are used, the mechanism becomes complicated, while the manufacturing cost is increased.
Meanwhile, in the above-described disc player, a driving force connecting/disconnecting mechanism is provided between the adjustment mechanism and the driving motor, thus additionally complicating the structure.
In addition, if, with the disc player, the loading mechanism should be repaired, the operation of adjusting the loading mechanism needs to be performed with the optical disc loaded on the disc driving unit. In this case, a loading mechanism having a cam gear for moving a pair of sliders is arranged on the bottom surface extending parallel to the disc tray setting surface. Therefore, if the disc tray is entrained into the casing, the loading mechanism is covered up with the disc tray.
Thus, for repairing the loading mechanism, it becomes difficult to perform dismounting, adjustment and assembling of the loading mechanism with the disc tray entrained into the casing thus worsening workability in repair works or maintenance of the loading mechanism.
In addition, since the above-described disc player has a mechanism of intermittently driving the slider by an intermittent gear, it becomes necessary to provide a slider holding mechanism for holding the slider in position when not driving the slider. The result is that the loading mechanism in its entirety becomes complex in structure to render it difficult to secure stable operation of the loading mechanism.
Moreover, the casing of the dis player has an opening via which to pull out the disc tray, and a lid is provided for opening or closing the opening. If the player itself should be reduced in size in this case, the stroke of movement of the lid needs to be reduced.